On Vacation
by Tobi Tortue
Summary: Kagome goes to Hawaii for vacation, but what would a vacation be without a certain hanyou? This also means he brings along his own problems to add to hers, as well as ways to enjoy the island of Kauai. Based loosely on my vacation. DISCONTINUED
1. In Which Adults Scheme

On Vacation

Tobi Tortue

First, a short note about this story: This January, my family went on vacation to a wonderful location, which happens to be this story's setting. The events that take place in this story are actually based on my vacation, though, sadly enough, I did not have a cute little hanyou to take with me, only every member of my family on this coast…except my brother. Well, being the person that I am, I chose to continue writing fanfictions, wherever I am…. Enjoy!

Chapter One: In Which Adults Scheme

He hated it when she said that. "No way!" he shouted back, before running around to stand in front of her and effectively block her path.

"Inuyasha!" she said sharply, causing his dog ears to flatten back. She slowly and dangerously lifted her eyes to meet his. "Don't make me say the word…."

He tried not to swallow nervously, but succeeded only halfway. But even if the small band of Naraku-fighters and jewel-seekers had already defeated Naraku, Kagome still had no right to just leave whenever she felt like it. And, much to the hanyou's dismay, "whenever she felt like it" came a lot more often.

"Hey wench," he started angrily.

"Osuwari!" she stated, then walked around Inuyasha's spread-eagle form and continued to the well. She could hear him spluttering random obscenities through a mouthful of dirt and grass, but decided to ignore him.

As soon as he was able, Inuyasha leapt up from his position and after Kagome, landing directly between her and the wooden walls of the well.

"I don't wanna hear that you have another dumb test," he threatened. But the menace in his voice seemed lost on the girl, and she even smiled, though she quickly tried to hide it. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously and leaned closer to her. "What?"

Kagome burst out into light (and amazingly girly) giggles. "It's just that…you have mud on your cheek!"

The proud hanyou growled quietly as he furiously wiped away the mud, and the young miko continued laughing. After a moment the two stopped, with Inuyasha's arms returning to their normal crossed position and his eyes directed defiantly to the right.

"I'm still waiting for an answer, Kagome."

The girl heaved a sigh. She probably owed it to him…but she hoped that he would refrain from asking exactly what she was doing.

Reluctantly, she replied, "No. I don't have a test. I'm not in school right now, remember?" She adjusted her uncomfortably heavy backpack by lifting on a strap, all the while dreading the upcoming shouting match.

"So then why in the hell are you leaving?" he yelled angrily.

"I'm visiting with my family!" she replied, just as loudly.

"Oh, so that's more important than finding Rin? Or killing Kanna? You know, as long as that freaky girl is out there, Miroku still—"

"I know!" she shouted, cutting him off before he brought tears to her eyes. She knew he only wanted to find and save Rin because the one who had been with the child last, who was missing herself, was Kikyou. And it wasn't as if Kagome just wanted to abandon Miroku to the kazaana either. "It's just…" she began a little sadly, looking down at a patch of three leaf clovers. "It's one thing after another, isn't it. And I still need to see my family."

"Keh!" he replied. "That's just another lame-ass excuse for running away with your tail betw—"

"Osuwari!" She watched in satisfaction as Inuyasha plummeted to the earth, and several inched into it. She hopped over his subdued body and into the well.

"Dammit!" he choked out between blades of grass. One such blade was irritatingly shoved up his nostril. He sprang to his feet rapidly and, with a bark of surprise, toppled into the well.

At least that was where he had planned to go anyway.

After the bluish light faded, he lifted himself off his fire-rat furred butt and quickly went to Kagome's window.

The sight he saw shocked him so badly, he nearly toppled from his perch on the windowsill.

The girl had her clothes strewn about the room, and she was in the middle of it all, fat cat Buyo in her arms, dancing circles with her eyes closed. Inuyasha's mouth followed the example of his wide-open eyes.

But the miko girl must have sensed him, because her eyes snapped open and she let Buyo drop to the floor and slink off. Her face turned a bright shade of embarrassment as she walked over the window and opened it.

Inuyasha hopped inside the room, and he didn't even need to ask.

"I'm going to spend time with my family on vacation," she hastily explained. "I'm packing right now." She refused to mention that she had only one night to pack because she had spent the last two weeks in the feudal era with him. He'd probably miss her point anyway. With a sight, she prepared herself for the onslaught from Inuyasha that would describe exactly why the over-stressed teenager was forbidden to have a vacation.

"Vacay-shun?" he queried. "What's that?" Suddenly his ears twitched and he stood by the window, alert with one clawed hand on Tetsusaiga. Then he stepped back and relaxed, saying, "It was just one of those aru-planes." He turned back to Kagome. "What's a vacay-shun?"

Suddenly, Kagome's wonderful eyes softened as she took in her beloved hanyou. How hard must it be to have never had even the concept of a break? Inuyasha was always on his guard, wary of anyone and everyone. (Even her world's "aru-planes.") And to let down that defense could mea serious harm, physically or emotionally.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Inuyasha glowered.

"I was just thinking…you've never been on a vacation, have you," she answered honestly.

"Of course not!" There was a pause, as he banished Miroku-style images from his mind ("And is this Vacay-shun beautiful?"), then he belatedly added, "Baka."

Kagome closed her eyes and slumped her shoulders in defeat. He just never got it, did he?

"A vacation is like taking a break, and instead of staying at home, you go someplace nice to relax," she explained, and then realized she had to prepare for the you-can't-just-leave-Kagome routine. He'd probably start by yelling "what" and demanding an explanation.

"What!" the hanyou exclaimed angrily. "And explain why the hell you think you're going away for this 'vacation' thing, wench!"

A small part of the miko realized that two and a half years of being around the explosive hanyou paid off in that she could predict his actions well. The other part of her was angry with the insensitive boy in her face.

"My family is going on vacation, Inuyasha!" she yelled.

"Good! They can go without a wench like you!"

"Osuwari!"

"Wench, I'll—"

"Osuwari!"

"Oi…you dirty—"

"Osuwari!"

"Go to hell, Ka—"

"Osuwari!"

"Uh, what are you two doing?" a voice asked as the door clicked open.

Kagome whirled around and Inuyasha lifted his face from the carpet and a crumpled t-shirt, both pairs of eyes watching as Souta's head peeked in the doorway. He took in the scene, rolled his eyes, and told his sister and her friend/enemy to stop fighting.

"I need to get some sleep because we leave the house at 4:00 am tomorrow," he added. With that, he walked away, closing the door behind him.

"Sure turned out to be a rude little brat, huh?" Inuyasha stated from the floor.

"You're one to talk…" Kagome muttered under her breath.

"Hey Kagome, I can still hear you as well as I ever could," Inuyasha began, rising from the floor.

"You know, Inuyasha, as much as I love arguing with you, I don't really have the time right now," she said sarcastically as she whizzed over to her closet. She walked back to her bed, which the hanyou noticed held a large, half-filled bag. "I'm packing right now, so just let me concentrate."

Inuyasha was quiet for a moment, then he walked to her bed and peered into the suitcase as if the girl had hidden something from him in it.

"Kagome?" he asked, still visually unpacking her bag.

"What is it?" she answered, rifling through her underwear drawer.

"Aren't you done?"

Kagome hung her head in exasperation, and ended up staring at paw-printed undies. "No, Inuyasha, I still have a lot to do. And I thought I asked you to be quiet for a while.

She suddenly sensed an angry half-demon's eyes on the back of her head. It was a rather uncomfortable experience, so she turned to face him, grabbing several pairs of underwear as she did so.

Inuyasha looked really unhappy this time. Something was seriously bothering him, and it wasn't the normal I'll-be-lonely-without-Kagome-but-I'll-say-she-needs-to-stay-for-insert Naraku/Shikon no tama-related quest here.

"How fucking long are you gonna be gone?" he shouted at her, knowing the answer to be what he considered way too long. "You're packing as if you're never coming back!" he accused, jabbing a clawed finger at her suitcase.

For a moment, her chest constricted with the knowledge that he was worried that she would leave (ie. betray) him. She shook her head to dismiss such thoughts, replacing them with ones about how childish the hundreds year old hanyou was.

"I'll be gone for eleven days. But two of those will be on the plane, so they don't really count…"

"Do you think I give a damn if _you_ think they don't count?" he said, with something akin to anger. But this was more than plain old anger. Kagome didn't fail to notice the hint of desperation in his voice. "You little wench! You can't just leave m—for eleven fucking days! Rin'll show up by her own damn self on Fluffy's doorstep and Miroku will have been pulled into the fucking ka—"

"Just stop it, Inuyasha!" Kagome yelled over him. "I don't want to hear about that right now, because," and she wheeled around to face the suddenly fearful boy, "I…am going…ON VACATION!"

The room was silent in the aftermath of the shouting. A few loud knocks on the door shattered the silence, but the door didn't open. Souta's muffled voice could be heard. (Of course, a pin drop could be heard in that room at that moment.)

"Give it a rest! If you two need to argue, go to the feudal era! People around her are going to kill you if you don't cut it out…."

Silence.

"Keh."

Silence. Again.

"Fuck this," Inuyasha spat. Kagome looked at him hurriedly. "Leave. I really don't give a damn what you do anyway, stupid wench." He turned and climbed onto the windowsill. Kagome was frozen, hearing in her mind his unspoken plea: _Don't do this Kagome. Don't leave me alone, without you. _How could she know him so much better than he knew himself? "I'm leaving too. It's not like I ever fucking needed a butch like you anyway…." She saw his body tense just before he leapt into the darkness, and called his name, holding him back.

He stopped and focused an intense golden gaze on her.

"It's just eleven days." She smiled a little nervously, but was having trouble keeping it there as a "keh" met her ears. "I'll be back before you know it, and I'll bring back gifts for you and everyone else."

Inuyasha folded his arms across his chest and looked in another direction, signaling that her argument still just wasn't good enough.

Suddenly the door burst open. Kagome's mother stood in the doorway, her eyes gleaming oddly in a way that frightened both Kagome and Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha?" she asked calmly. "May I speak with you downstairs for a moment?"

Confused, the hanyou nodded and followed her out the door and down the stairs.

"Thanks mom," Kagome breathed as she shut the door. Resolutely, she went back to filling her suitcase, determined to finish before the dog demon returned to her room.

Downstairs, Inuyasha found Kagome's grandfather waiting for him. Even more confused and wary, he plopped down on the couch and tried to look uninterested as he waited for someone to say something.

Then he heard a "close your eyes Inuyasha!" Kagome's mother beamed at him and he began to perspire. But, she was a kind-hearted person, and a mother to boot, so he did as he was told despite the nagging feeling in his stomach.

But something went wrong.

He felt someone pat his head, and then he began to feel awfully strange. He snapped open his golden eyes, only to see a black nose extending before him. He was in shock for only a moment, and then he desperately reached for his head. It must be a sutra! But just before his hands reached the top of his head, something in his shoulders popped, and his arms were painfully wrenched forward. Only now they weren't arms. They were his front legs.

Inuyasha sat on the couch and growled.

The mother pulled out a collar and fastened it around his neck as he sat there stiffly, still growling. Behind him, the grandfather laughed like a crazy old man, which, of course, he was.

Inuyasha barked and snarled, then looked furiously at the humans. Kagome's mother took off the sutra.

"Don't worry, Inuyasha," she said, smiling gently. He snapped at her. "I have a plan and you'll be normal again soon." She winked, and he stared at her in shock. "Just don't let Kagome see you, right?"

Was she kidding? Inuyasha would never let Kagome see him as a real four-legged hound. All white and soft and furry. Gods, how much he would hate it if she knew.

Not having very many other options, the dog demon turned just plain dog followed the mother's instructions, and hid himself in the well house for the night.

He wasn't that cold…actually, he hated to admit it, but his fur kept him really warm. Kind of like his…come to think of it, where _had_ his kimono gone? Well, as long as it materialized, along with Tetsusaiga, when he changed back, everything would be okay.

Well, maybe not _everything_….

Up in her room, she finished packing and tidied up her room. "Hmmm…I guess he must have decided to leave. Oh well," said Kagome as she turned out her light and snuggled into bed.

"I just wish he had said good bye…."

She drifted off to dreams of beaches, palm trees, and a certain hanyou that didn't yell at her.

If only dreams could come true.

The next morning was a mad rush. Kagome's mother had already packed the trunk, and was making sure Grandpa was eating his breakfast and could find his way to the car. Kagome felt refreshed and was in a good mood. She had slept well, in the little time she had been given, as Souta joked.

Before anyone knew it, they were at Tokyo International Airport.

"You three go on ahead. I'll check our baggage and meet you at the gate, alright?" the woman of the Higurashi household suggested.

After they left was when she gave her dog to the personnel that would see to it that he traveled safely. After she did that she checked the bags and met her family at the gate. They boarded the plane, the children all laughter, and the adults with their secret smiles.

"Thank you for choosing Air Japan, and welcome to Lihue, Kaua'i." The message was repeated in English and all of the passengers stood, stretching as the Hawaiian sunset streaked through the plane's oval windows.

The excited family of four exited the plane and burst into the warm humid air as if it were a wall.

"It's so warm…" Kagome gagged. However, she was happy.

"Why don't you two go with Grandpa to get the rental car?" the mother offered. "I'll get the baggage from the baggage claim."

They all agreed that it was a fine plan.

Kagome's mother retrieved all of the luggage, and talked to her dog as she picked him up. Kagome and Souta were in the back seat, pointing at a map as she loaded the items into the trunk.

When they reached the house they had rented, it was dark. Despite being worn out from traveling, the children immediately went to the beach, only across the road in front of the house, and the two devious adults unpacked the car.

"Welcome to Hawai'i," Kagome's mom said to Inuyasha as she let him out of he kennel crate. She ignored (or was oblivious to) his glare as she took off the collar.

Suddenly Inuyasha transformed back into his normal hanyou self.

"I thought you could use a vacation," she whispered, and then left, disappearing into a bedroom.

Inuyasha stood there, in his bright red kimono, and then stepped outside, trying to forget the experience of being turned into a dog, locked in a crate, and then shut into a dark room where gravity didn't seem to be a constant. Also, his ears hurt like hell…. He pushed it out of his mind.

The air was salty and he could tell that it was the same ocean and oceanic winds that surrounded Japan. But that was where the similarities ended.

This island was tropical. It was still eighty degrees after dark, with the light coming from a half moon and the stars. Even the stars seemed to be different, or maybe just not exactly where they should be. Strange scents wafted by, conjuring up images of birds so colorful they hurt the eyes as well as mysterious food from sweet and tangy fruit. And everywhere he looked, there were green palm fronds flourishing, fanning softly in the light breeze. The sound of laughter came from the beach, surrounded by the white noise of waves on the sandy beach.

The hanyou walked out of the driveway and onto the road, and Inuyasha heard a girl's scream.

_Kagome!_

She let out a short scream again, which sounded in tandem with a yell from Souta. An instant later, they each felt an arm around their waists pull them out of the surf. The arms brought them from three feet of salt water up to the road in one pull, a distance of about thirty feet.

Souta yelled louder, but Kagome, who was familiar with being kidnapped, shouted out an angry retort.

"Put me down! I swear if you don't you'll regret the you ever saw me; I'll—"

The arms removed themselves and Kagome spun around, coming face to face with the person she least expected.

"You'll what?" he drawled, smirking at her, although he was still wary of the demon or whatever that must have been in the water.

Souta started bouncing with excitement. "Wow! Inuyasha! How'd you get here? And, wow! This is so cool! You can hang out with me if you want (but you'll have to change your clothes…) and we can do all sorts of fun stuff together, and…" he drifted off, catching the look of murderous rage on his sister's usually peaceful face.

"Don't tell me," she began in a dark and frightening tone, "that you came… to bring me… to your era?" She breathed heavily in anger, her chest rising and falling like the waves themselves. Inuyasha had no doubt that she would be able to arouse as much fury as the crashing waves and grind his face into the sand. He also knew without a doubt that she would do such a thing if she knew he had just looked at her chest while it was covered in clingy, wet cloth.

"Actually, I didn't," he yelled back at her, "so you can stop accusing me for shit I didn't do!"

Kagome faltered for a second; clearly she had not expected this. "You… didn't?" She paused in confusion. "But then… why are you here?"

It was too dark for her to see the dog ears droop a little as he wondered if she thought the only reason he'd be somewhere with her was to take her back to fight. Of course, maybe he was only feeling like this because he had spent the entire day in a crate stuck in a dark room just to have an ungrateful bitch yelling at him.

"What the hell was going on down there?" he asked, changing the subject and looking at the sea with hind hand on the hilt of his sword. He directed a concerned gaze back at Kagome and said, "I heard you screaming."

Kagome smiled and then sighed. He really had never had any sort of break at all. "We were just playing in the water, Inuyasha," she explained.

Then Kagome got a wonderful idea.

Why didn't Inuyasha just stay with them, and have a vacation too? Maybe he could just relax for once?

She reached out a grabbed a clawed hand, and immediately started pulling him toward the water. Both boys were shocked, but Inuyasha allowed the girl to lead him down the beach, think suspicious about her form of "play."

"Your clothes'll get wet, but you don't mind, do you? I mean, Souta and I are already soaked." She smiled and laughed a little, her beautiful eyes sparkling.

As soon as they reached the water, Kagome and Souta ran off down the shore, laughing and screaming as their feet sank in the sand and they nearly fell over.

The siblings played deeper into the water, and began to try to jump over the incoming waves. A large wave broke on a shrieking Kagome, spraying off her and onto Souta, who yelled louder. Then the dripping boy kicked water at Kagome in retaliation. She started running down the beach, then suddenly stopped, exclaimed something, and pointed.

When Souta caught up with her, he picked up a large round object and held it above his head.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome yelled. She called again and Souta's voice supported hers. They laughed and Souta threw the object into the water, splashing both of them.

Inuyasha appeared at their breathless sides.

"Look Inuyasha!" the girl cried. "It's a coconut!"

Souta picked up the round object, turning it so a dented side faced upward to their huddled faces.

"But it's broken. See? You can see the inside white part a bit," Souta said. Then he grinned and dropped the coconut into the water.

The splash soaked everyone.

"Why you little…" Inuyasha began as Souta took off running, laughing as hard as his ribcage would allow him.

The hanyou followed the twelve year old and tackled him. Both came up sputtering and wet, and immediately started splashing each other. Kagome joined in as soon as she caught up, first on Souta's side, but changing to Inuyasha's when her brother accidentally splashed her.

"You little bastard!"

"Inuyasha! I'll change sides if you keep up that language!"

"Swear, Inuyasha!"

"Don't fu—just don't tell me what to—Agh! You'll pay for that one, little shit!"

"That's it, dog-boy!"

"Wha?"

"Ha! Now we'll get you!"

"Shuddup!"

By the time to tired, wet group came inside, the adults had gone to bed, leaving Kagome's bedroom door open, and Souta's couch folded into a bed.

Kagome and Souta wrung their sleeves and pant legs after they rinsed off their feet in the sink in the garage. Both took showers, thankful that there were two bathrooms, and Souta immediately crawled into his bed, asleep in moments.

Kagome went to the back door, and looked around. "Inuyasha?" she asked softly into the warm ocean breeze.

"What?" His annoyed tone wafted down from above, and the girl stepped outside a ways to look up at his form on the roof.

"Um… thanks." She beamed up at him. "You should stay here, and have a vacation with us. I guess you're almost a member of the family, so maybe I should have invited you in the first place."

He stared down at her, but it was too dark for her to see that he was close to smiling, despite his next remark. "But why are you thanking me?"

"For coming."

There was a long pause after that, where both stared into each other's eyes. The wind ruffled through their hair.

"Inuyasha." Kagome said after her turned his eyes to his right, most likely due to embarrassment. "Don't you want to come inside?"

"Keh," he replied. "I'm soaked and I think I'll dry faster in the wind. I'll just be on the roof if you need anything." His face disappeared from her view.

"Good night, Inuyasha," she called softly. He didn't respond, but she never expected him to anyway.

She smiled as she turned out the lights and tiptoed through the house and into bed.

So… what does everyone think? Good? Bad? Ugly?


	2. In Which Are Panthers, Whales, and Sandw...

On Vacation

Tobi Tortue

Chapter Two: In Which Are Panthers, Whales, and Sandwiches

"Houshi-sama?" the demon slayer asked. She dropped the rag she had been using to polish Hiraikotsu. She pushed her weapon off her lap and began to stretch her legs.

"Hmm?"

"Have you seen Inuyasha recently?" she queried.

Miroku answered her question by leaning to whisper in her ear. "No, I haven't seen him." The monk continued to breathe softly on her neck.

She swatted his face away with a playful scowl. "No really, do you think he's with Kagome-chan? Trying to make her come back?" She paused, and felt a hand reach behind her.

THAK!

Miroku rubbed his cheek, which now sported a red handprint.

"I'm trying to be serious!" she cried indignantly. "You don't think he went after Kikyou while Kagome-chan was gone, do you?" she asked worriedly.

"He's probably just sulking, Sango dear," he chimed, hooking a loose hair behind her ear. He leaned toward her. "And with both Kagome-sama and Inuyasha gone, it leaves us alone."

She turned and stared at him flatly. He raised an eyebrow suggestively.

"Hey Miroku! Sango! Guess what me and Kirara found!" a young voice cried, bursting in through the door.

"What is it, Shippou?" Sango asked, and the kitsune started to rapidly speak about some flowers or wreath or something.

Miroku sighed. "Okay… maybe we're not alone…."

Kagome woke up when she heard Inuyasha's voice, and, as usual, he was loud and angry.

"Well? Who the hell is that guy?"

"Pease just let it go, Inuyasha." Her mother's voice wafted into the room.

Kagome listened for her hanyou's grumbled "keh" and, after being satisfied by the low reply from the other room, Kagome stretched and opened her eyes.

The sunlight flooded into her room, making it bright and comfortable. Even the room, with its Hawaiian artwork and floral bedspread, felt tropical. She crawled to the end of her bed, attempting to get up, but only managing to sprawl on top of her covers. Her contented gaze moved to the window, where she could see blue water, white breakers, and some tall puffy clouds deep on the horizon. The girl sighed happily and pulled herself out of bed, stumbling into the other room.

Her mother had already started breakfast, and there was a pot on the stove, lidded shut. Inuyasha was staring out the windowed doors that led to the porch. She assumed he was staring out at the ocean. Souta was sitting on the seafoam-and-floral cushioned couch, reading a magazine about the island.

"Good morning, Kagome!" her mother called from the kitchen.

"Good morning," she replied, smiling sleepily.

"Morning?" Inuyasha asked, turning from the window. "It's nearly afternoon!" he added, although it was only 9:00.

"That's the point!" Souta told him, looking up from the magazine. He had not changed out of his pajamas.

Inuyasha turned back to the window. "But does that guy _have_ to put that car-thingy there? It's right in the way!"

"I told you to just let it go…" the woman in the kitchen reminded gently.

Kagome walked over to the boy wearing lots of red and peeked over his shoulder. Sure enough, there was a bluish pickup parked on the other side of the street, complete with a middle-aged man in the driver's seat.

"I didn't realize you cared so much about the view," she teased, He snorted and moved his head away from hers. She tugged on the closest white ear. He jerked away, out of her grasp and gave her a dirty look.

"I thought I've told you not to touch my ears, wench!" he said angrily. She giggled back and looked out through the door again.

"Hey! He's leaving!" she cried happily. She stared out at the beautiful scene of dark blue water.

"Where's Grandpa?" Souta asked, putting down the magazine.

"He went out shopping or something," Mrs. Higurashi answered, moving into the front room and sitting on a couch that matched Souta's.

"Higurashi-san," Inuyasha said, watching Kagome's mother intently and a little suspiciously. "What about breakfast?"

"Oh, it's ready!" she chirped back, happy that she had finally ground enough manners into the hanyou so he no longer referred to her as "hey you" or "woman."

Inuyasha started to pounce on the kitchen, and would have been closely followed by Souta had he not been startled by a cry from Kagome.

"Look! A whale!" she pointed straight out into the water.

Everyone immediately went to look, and were rewarded when a small black shape (resembling a cucumber) lifted and fell, far off on the horizon.

Inuyasha declared that it was lame, and Souta immediately followed his example. The boys went into the kitchen to eat. After about two minutes of whaleless watching, Kagome joined them.

Inuyasha still hadn't decided how to eat oatmeal.

Souta and Kagome both showed him the dried fruit and nuts to put on it, and gave him a bowl filled with the stuff.

"But we don't have any milk yet so you can't put any on, but we always do," Souta explained as he sat down.

Inuyasha fumbled with the spoon but eventually got the hang of it. He did need it to eat, after all.

Suddenly, the door to the kitchen opened, and in came Kagome's grandfather. He held plastic shopping bags in his hands and kicked off his flip-flops and he entered.

"So you're back and you got some fruit too!" Mrs. Higurashi exclaimed as she took the bags from him. She put them on the counter and began to cut and arrange the fruit for eating.

"No milk?" Souta whined from the table. His grandfather shook his head. The two siblings sighed and slouched in unison.

"I think I'll scramble some of these eggs, if you want," offered their mother. The four others in the room nodded.

"Hey, did you see that Inuyasha's here too?" Souta asked his grandfather.

"Yes," said Inuyasha coldly, just as a surprised "no" came from the old man.

Kagome and Souta exchanged glances, but Inuyasha was spared from explaining when the eldest Higurashi looked out to the front porch and told them all to look at the strange birds.

The kitchen emptied, except for Mrs. Higurashi, as the group stood in the living room to watch two good-sized black and spotted birds walk around on the porch railing.

Soon, however, they all lost interest. But Kagome's mother had already finished the eggs, so they ate those.

"See, this is where we are," Kagome showed Inuyasha during the eggs, "Kapa'a, Kaua'i."

"Kawai?" Inuyasha asked, clearly a little alarmed at the island's choice of name. (See note below.)

"No, not kawai…" Kagome started to explain through Souta's laughing fit.

"Kawaii?" the hanyou tried, wondering if he really wanted to be on an island of that name. It sounded more like a place Miroku would be interested in.

"No," Kagome cried, falling into laughter herself. "It's not either… it's a Hawaiian name so it doesn't mean either…." Her laughter died down, and Souta wiped the tears from his eyes.

The dog demon folded his arms across his chest and muttered, "Keh!"

Mrs. Higurashi walked up to the group at the table, followed by Grandpa. She was carrying her purse.

"We're going to go out and do some shopping. We'll be back in a little while. Go ahead and watch TV; I brought some DVD's. Well, enjoy yourselves," she said on her way out the door.

The kids decided to watch a DVD. Kagome complained about it, stating that they could watch a DVD anywhere. But she was outnumbered, because Souta wanted to see a movie, and Inuyasha hadn't gone out of his fascinated-with-TV phase yet.

So they watched the Pink Panther. None of them knew what was happening during the beginning, and they weren't too clear towards the end of the two-hour movie. They ended up laughing during serious moments by commenting on people-s clothing. Souta was at the age where he watched half of the kisses and looked the other way during the deeper ones, while Inuyasha complained about the romance by telling them that if he had wanted to watch people kiss, he could just go spy on Miroku. Kagome chided him for that.

Just as the end credits rolled across the screen, the back door opened, admitting Mrs. Higurashi and her father-in-law.

"Children!" she called, "Please help us unload the van, will you?"

The obedient siblings did as instructed, and even convinced Inuyasha to help. In no time at all, they were finished and Kagome's mom went to lock up the white rental van.

She returned with another bag, and presented it to Inuyasha. "These are for you," she explained before going to put all of the new food into its various places.

He fished his hand into the bag, and pulled out… a shirt? It was a red t-shirt to be exact, and still in the bag were khaki shorts, flip-flops, sunglasses, a hat, and Hawaiian-print swim shorts. They were red with white pseudo-flowers. ("Psuedo", because what kind of man would he be if he had _flowers_ on his shorts?)

Inuyasha blinked at the shirt he held up in front of himself.

"Now you can go around the island with us," Kagome's mother said from behind him, her face in the fridge.

"Let's go swimming!" Souta shouted, noticing the swim trunks in the bag. He ran to a closet in one of the bedrooms, pulled out his trunks, and then raced off to a bathroom.

"Okay!" Kagome agreed. "Inuyasha, you can use the bathroom connected to my room if you want. To change clothes," she added after taking in his puzzled expression. "Just don't come out until I say you can, 'kay?"

He nodded and they walked to their changing areas. Kagome shut the door behind him (there was no lock), and began to change into her swimsuit, feeling a little nervous about it for the first time. Inuyasha had never seen her in a bikini before…. She wondered what his reaction would be.

She knocked on the door and told Inuyasha she was decent, and it immediately slid open.

Startled, the girl toppled backwards, arms flung out to catch something that would stop her fall. But the hanyou reached forward, grabbing her wrists and pulling her back upright. Too far upright, she realized, because she fell forward onto his chest. And there she was, pressed into his bare chest, only in her swimsuit, and of course it had to be a bikini.

Both immediately jumped away from each other. Both also immediately turned bright shades of red. Inuyasha noticed her blush went all the way down her neck before realizing where his eyes were about to focus. He turned away, and his face matched his shorts. Where the gold eyes were traveling wasn't lost on Kagome either. She felt as if her face was on fire.

"Uh… I need a towel," she squeaked and scooted past him into the bathroom. He nodded and stepped aside.

Kagome tossed him a towel and they walked into the other room as their blushes faded. Souta was waiting on the couch.

"Mama and jii-chan are coming too, so we have to wait for them," he told the pair, who sat down on the couch and began to fidget nervously, both refusing to look at the other. They missed Souta's raised eyebrow, but he didn't ask.

As soon as everyone was ready, (and they had convinced Inuyasha that a hat was necessary,) they walked out into the sunshine. The clouds from the morning had disappeared, and only a few wisps remained, high in the sky.

They walked down to the place they had played the night before, talking about the lower tide and the fact that they could see the reef that was about thirty or forty feet out in the water. Once they reached the sand, Kagome and Souta rushed in. Inuyasha hung back, watching Kagome and checking their surroundings.

Mrs. Higurashi remained on shore as well, setting up a chair and an umbrella so she could settle down with a good book. Grandpa started wading into the water.

The siblings, however, started running down the beach, trying to stay in sand that would allow them to sink up to their ankles.

"Whoa!" Souta yelled as the sand swallowed a leg up to his mid-calf. Kagome ran to knock him over, but he managed to run up onto shore, where he promptly stuck out his tongue.

She accidentally stepped into the space he had just vacated, and sunk deeply. Souta ran down for the kill, but his sister removed her foot and ran away, sloshing water onto him.

"Race you back to Inuyasha!" Kagome yelled. They took off, running on the edge of the tide. Kagome and Souta decided they had tied, because they both tried tripping each other on the way there.

All of a sudden, both grabbed Inuyasha and began dragging him toward the surf, despite the dog demon's weak attempts to get away. Inuyasha suddenly struggled harder, flinging Souta to the ground, but his efforts were cut short by Kagome's hiss of "don't make a scene!" Once they had gotten the hanyou in a sandy spot about three feet deep, he heard a terrible sound.

"Osuwari!" Kagome cried cheerfully.

Inuyasha face planted into the waves. After an instant, he flung himself out of the water and, gasping, tackled Kagome.

"Wench!" he shouted, he hat floating away.

She shrieked and laughed a little, before noticing the hat, or rather, the lack of hat. "Souta!" she yelled as Inuyasha attempted to push her under, "find the hat!"

The younger sibling did as he was told, seeing that his sister was occupied, her head being thrust under the water. As soon as her head broke the surface, she jumped at Inuyasha. He tried to doge, but the water caught at his legs and he ended up falling over.

Kagome stood laughing as Souta, who had successfully retrieved the hat, used it to dump water on the hanyou's head and squish it on at the same time. Inuyasha growled and pulled Souta's leg forward, tumbling the boy backward.

"You're next," he growled at Kagome. She tried to run, but the quick demon tackled her again. She splashed salt water at him, and then at Souta when he arrived. Inuyasha let Souta take his place as the hanyou sloshed out of the water.

"Stop! Time out! Time out!" Kagome cried after a few minutes of intense water fighting. "I think," she said, breathing heavily. Inuyasha willed himself not to stare at her chest rising and falling as she panted. When did he become such a pervert? "Well, I think… that I'm… gonna… go in now."

Kagome walked up into the sand, where she sat down, and ended up lying all the way down. The sun was bright, and she closed her watering eyes.

Suddenly a hand pressed down on her shoulder as another pressed on her stomach. Her eyes flew open, and she stared into Inuyasha's amber orbs. For a fleeting moment, she had the insane idea that he was going to make out with her on the beach. That mental image was quickly thrust away as a handful of sand dropped onto her.

She struggled, but Inuyasha held her down. Souta piled sand on her. The hanyou had to find some way to get her arms, because she kept pushing the stuff off, so he grabbed her wrists in one hand and held them above her head. Now she felt as if she was going to make out (or worse) with Inuyasha against her will. But couldn't she just get her mind out of the gutter?

With an angry glower at the boys, Kagome stopped struggling and let them get it over with. In a short amount of time, she was covered in sand up to her neck.

It was heavy, pressing down on her. Actually, it was a pretty uncomfortable position, because she knew some of the sand was going to be in her suit, and to add to that, her leg itched. Right behind her knee.

Souta whispered into Inuyasha's… hat… and, after a loud "No!" and more whispering, they both had very mischievous looks on their faces.

Her little brother began to fashion a tail for her, and Kagome thought that awww, she was going to be a cute little mermaid. That is until Inuyasha dropped tow lumps of sand onto her chest, and began patting them down with a devilish smirk on his face.

"What are you doing?" she yelled, her face turning terribly red.

"Making you into a mermaid," Souta replied from the tail. He looked up and began laughing as hard as he ever had as Inuyasha shaped the mounds into mermaid boobs.

Souta picked a spot near his sister's stomach and poked his finger in until he poked flesh.

"Is that your belly button?" he asked.

"No!" she replied huffily.

"Well it is now!"

Both boys laughed and made her arms that extended out like she was waving and had an arm at her side, commenting on how her hair looked funny because it really was her arms under the sand.

"Okay," Kagome said, finally deciding that she had put up with way too much. "I'm getting out!"

She wiggled and cracks appeared on the sand, before her arms burst free and she sat up.

"It lives!" Souta yelled in mock terror.

Kagome bent her knees, which caused the tail to bend as if she were swimming. Then she pushed herself up, the sand falling off her in an avalanche. She went straight to the sea and plunged in, rinsing much of the sand off. She floated for a few moments, but couldn't relax because she feared the boys and their habit of splashing people. So she rose from the water and looked onto shore.

Fortunately, she was standing in water when she saw Inuyasha digging like a dog. That's why she didn't hurt herself when she fell over.

Apparently, Souta had convinced the hanyou to help him build some sort of sand wall. A wall because it wasn't quite pretty enough to be called a castle. She caught her breath after her laughing fit as Inuyasha packed down the freshly dug sand into the wall with an expression that read, "I really don't care about this."

"Kagome! Souta! Inuyasha!" a mother's voice cried from farther up on the beach. She stood with the chair folded in one hand and the umbrella tucked under the other arm, and Grandpa stood beside her, sunglasses included.

The three reluctantly walked over and they all walked the block back to the house. Kagome and Souta took showers first, after calling dibs before anyone else. Actually, they were the only ones to call it at all, the others either not caring or not knowing what the hell "dibs" was.

After Kagome finished scrubbing herself clean of sand (and thankfully not plugging up the drain with it), her mother showed Inuyasha how to use the shower before she left to (probably) make something to eat.

When he finished, he followed Kagome's clean scent outside to the porch. But once he opened the door he nearly fainted.

"What the fuck are you doing?" he shouted, covering his nose with the collar of his t-shirt before he passed out.

"Painting my toenails," she answered simply from her seat on the wide railing. Her back leaned against the wall of the house. "I thought that since I won't be wearing shoes most of the time, I might as well. And also, I didn't have time to do it before I left because I was so busy with you…. I'll be done in a second and you'll be able to breathe again."

He watched in silence as Kagome finished painting her toenails a deep pinkish red. As soon as she finished, she screwed the brush/lid back onto the bottle and set it down under her bent legs. After a moment, the hanyou cautiously removed the shirt from his sensitive nose.

Souta suddenly appeared by opening the doorway and sticking his head out. "You two want ham and cheese sandwiches?" he asked.

"Oh! Yes please," Kagome nodded happily.

"Sure," Inuyasha replied.

"Thanks Souta!" the teenage girl called as her brother ducked back inside.

Kagome looked out at the ocean as her toenail polish dried. The sun was moving behind the house, so she was sitting in more and more shade. Cars drove by, and a few people walked by, and there even was a young man on a bike.

"So, Inuyasha," she started. He opened his eyes and stopped sniffing the strange scents in the air to look at her. "I was wondering," she continued, "if you were enjoying your vacation so far."

He stared at her, a bit startled at the question. This was _her_ vacation, and he wasn't about to be suckered into sitting around on his butt all day while there were things to do.

Before he could reply, the door opened, and Souta's face appeared again.

"Do you want lettuce?" he asked.

"Yes," said Kagome and Inuyasha stated a flat, "No."

"Okay." The younger boy disappeared back inside once again.

The hanyou and the young miko sat in silence for a while, the sounds of the waves and strange bird calls washing over them. The breeze from the ocean dried their hair.

"Inuyasha, you never answered my question…" she started, trailing off so he could say something.

He didn't reply for a long time. But when he did answer, he managed to surprise her.

"It's your vacation, not mine."

He turned away, the wind blowing his hair so that locks of it floated behind him. She saw him look up towards the roof, and she sighed softly as he leapt up there.

Why did he have to be so stubborn?

She let her gaze drift back to the ocean. It seemed as if sometimes she knew the hanyou perfectly, and at other times (although they were rarer and rarer) she had no idea who she was talking to. The rhythmic rushing of the tide soother her, and made her remember something important. Kagome was on vacation, and she shouldn't have to worry about an arrogant, stubborn boy who acted like a child. One that, even though he was in Hawai'i, didn't want to relax and have fun.

She watched a car pass. Inside the blue Honda SUV was a couple, the blonde in the passenger's seat leaning against her boyfriend, or fiancé, or husband. A very American laugh floated out the window, and Kagome sighed.

A rooster suddenly ran out in front of the car, and was narrowly missed.

"Look! A rooster!" the girl cried, pointing. It seemed so odd to have such an ordinary bird running around on a tropical island. (Little did she know that there are thousands of them on Kaua'i.)

She heard Inuyasha's feet thud to another part of the roof, closer to the rooster. Then the footsteps returned to their starting place.

Waves crashed. Kagome sighed and looked back out at the ocean.

Her eyes suddenly caught a peculiar wave, spraying mist high into the air. Wait… it was a whale!

"Inuyasha! It's a whale!" she shouted, pointing again, her face lit up with excitement. This one was closer than the ones earlier that day. Maybe it would jump, or do something interesting.

Inuyasha's feet pounded closer, right above her. She was still unable to see him, but her eyes were scanning the horizon anyway.

She saw the mist spout again, and watched in awe. But then it seemed as if the whale had left, because there was no sign of it after that.

The two sat in silence for a long time, and it was only broken by Souta's return with sandwiches, and, or course, the waves. The dog demon had to come back down to the porch to get his sandwich, but he didn't even look at Kagome before returning to the rooftop. He just took his sandwich and left.

Finally, it was just a little too chilly for the girl, who was wearing a tanktop and shorts. The sun had passed behind the green peak behind the town.

She got up slowly, her rear end sore from sitting, and returned back inside. She said nothing to Inuyasha, but she knew that he was aware of her departure.

Once inside, she walked to her room, and collapse on the bed. She shut her eyes and tried to think happy thoughts. Here she was on vacation, in Hawai'i, no less. But she kept thinking about a certain hanyou, who never had the chance to relax or have fun.

When she opened her eyes, it was completely dark outside. With a groan, she realized she had fallen asleep. Kagome pulled herself off the bed, and into the kitchen, where her mother was fiddling around and making dinner.

"Oh, Kagome," she said cheerfully. "Will you go get Inuyasha? Dinner's just about ready."

Kagome nodded and walked outside, passing Souta and Grandpa in the living room, watching another Pink Panther. She closed the door behind her and walked out into the night until she could see the hanyou.

He was looking away from the ocean, and his back faced her. His long white hair blew around him.

"Inuyasha!" she called. He turned and crouched on the edge of the roof, looking down at her. "It's time to eat, so come inside."

He dropped down, and they both walked inside. Dinner was ready by then, so they went to wash up.

During dinner or pork, rice, and salad, the family talked endlessly of their day. Kagome was the center of the discussion, talking about the second whale, splashing Souta, sitting Inuyasha in the water, and everything else that had happened.

But it was after dinner that she noticed that Inuyasha hadn't said a word. (Unless she counted the "keh" in response to the story of sitting him.) The girl sighed. It wasn't as if he spoke much in general anyway.

She sat down as her mother put in a DVD of the last four episodes of Sex in the City, and they ended up watching all of it. Thankfully, Souta was still a hair young for some of the raunchier jokes in the American TV show, but at the other jokes, all were gasping for air, despite how shocked they were.

Grandpa had refused to watch such a "crude and horrible show", but Inuyasha just left for the window without a word. Kagome stared after him, but was soon caught up in the show as her mother turned it on.

After the final episode had ended, and all of the characters were happily in New York with their boyfriends or husbands, the vacationing family went to bed.

Kagome, however, went to the windowed double doors in her bedroom, and walked out onto the porch patio. "Inuyasha?" she called softly, expecting to see his bright golden eyes appear above her. "Inuyasha?"

The hanyou did not respond.

"Good night," she said up to the roof. Sadly, she walked indoors and went to her bed. Against her will, her eyes filled with tears. Why wasn't Inuyasha speaking to her? Was he angry? This was supposed to be a fun and happy vacation. One that she could enjoy. She rolled over and buried her face into her floral-print pillow.

She hadn't known that Inuyasha hadn't been on the rooftop when she had said good night.

NOTE: "Kawai", in Japanese, means "scary", while "kawaii" means "cute". Both, to un-Japanese or just untrained ears, can sound exactly like the American pronunciation of the Hawaiian island, Kaua'i. Keep this in mind please, because I will continue to have fun with these and probably will not explain them again.

So, what did everyone think of the second chapter? I hate to say this, because long "ransom" notes annoy me, but please review. I really truly appreciate everyone who does. It can only take about twelve seconds, so please go ahead. I'm going to be busy for a while, so if you want more soon, then you should let me know. (Translation: I'm veeeerrrryyyy lazy, so if you like it, force me to write more.)

See you next time!

Tobi Tortue

"Si on dit que les tortues ne peux pas écrire, que je disais: lisez plus !"


	3. In Which Inuyasha Is Lost, Found, And Hi...

On Vacation

Tobi Tortue

Chapter 3: In Which Inuyasha is Lost, Found, and High

"I wish Kagome was here," Shippou pouted. He turned to Kirara. "I want to show her the pictures I drew."

The fire cat mewed in sympathy, looking at one of the pictures. It portrayed the young kitsune destroying Kanna with a burst of kitsunebi.

"See? Aren't they great?" he asked, pride clearly evident. The little feline started to purr for Shippou, but the suddenly spun around and growled. Her fur stood on end.

"Kirara?" Shippou asked nervously, gathering his crayons and pictures before taking a few steps backward.

The cat youkai bounded forward a few feet and then transformed in a burst of flames. Shippou continued is retreat toward Kaede's hut.

Sango's voice rang out over the scene, calling her feline companion's name. She wore her demon slayer's outfit and carried Hiraikotsu over her shoulder. Running past the young kitsune, she leapt onto Kirara as the fire cat took off into the skies.

"Sango!" cried a surprised monk, running out of the hut. "Wait!" he yelled at her retreating back. He stopped next to Shippou.

They both stared as Sango disappeared over a hilltop, Shippou with eyes wide, and Miroku with eyes full of worry.

Then the monk broke free from staring and he ran after the woman he loved.

…………………………………………………………………………………

Kagome stayed around the house in the morning. She walked out onto the porch and sat in her favorite spot on the railing, her back against the wall. After sitting there in the sun with a stiff ocean breeze in her face, she wondered where Inuyasha was. He had not been in the house, and she was sure he would have caught her scent by now.

"Inuyasha?" she queried. There was no reply, but she decided to go on anyway. "If I made you mad somehow, I'm sorry. And if you think I'm mad at you, I'm not. So you can come down now. Please?"

Still, there was no reply. She sighed, already in a bad mood, despite the fact that it was still morning and she was on a tropical island.

She hopped off her perch, and walked inside, lingering in the doorway for a moment, hoping her hanyou would appear.

He did not, again.

"Breakfast!" Souta yelled to her as she entered.

As the family of four sat down to scrambled eggs, bacon, and (lo and behold) oatmeal, Kagome wondered again where Inuyasha was. He wasn't the type to miss a meal, especially if her mother cooked it.

"Has anyone seen Inuyasha?" she asked after a few moments.

"Oh, I saw him earlier this morning," Mrs. Higurashi answered with her usual smile. "He was walking down to the beach." She took a small bite of oatmeal. "Mmm! Did you get any of that dried mango, Kagome? It's delicious! You have some too, Souta."

The four resumed eating, but for Kagome the food had become rather tasteless. She was too worried about Inuyasha to enjoy breakfast. As soon as she was finished, she excused herself and changed into a swimsuit, with a sarong and an unbuttoned Hawaiian shirt.

"Oh good!" her mother exclaimed when she walked out of her room. "We were just going to go to a park. It supposedly has the best swimming on Kaua'i."

"But Mama! Inuyasha!" she said quickly, trying to get her point across in the least amount of words necessary, as if a long conversation would slow them down in a search.

"Don't worry, Kagome," she soothed. "He told me that he's over 200 years old, so he's probably quite capable of taking care of himself."

"But this is _this_ era, Mama! And he doesn't even speak the language!"

"Then how he managed in his own era is beyond me," she said, raising her eyebrows. But then her eyes softened as she looked back down at her daughter. "I'm sure he's just fine. And from what you've told me, he can fin you anywhere, if he needs to. Let's just go to the beach and have fun!"

Kagome sat down on a couch as her mother went off to change. Souta arrived and sat next to her, chattering away.

"And there's all these fish, and sometimes people feed them, so they aren't scared of people. And they swim all around you, so you can almost touch them! Isn't that cool?" he asked, breathless with anticipation.

"Yeah," she agreed, but her heart wasn't in it and Souta could tell.

"What is it Kagome?" he questioned. "Are you still worried about Inuyasha?"

She didn't answer, but that in itself was enough of an answer for the boy.

Grandpa suddenly entered the room. "Let's go, children," he cried to them. "The beach is waiting!"

They all piled into the car, and zoomed off to the park. The parking lot was crowed, and they were lucky to find a spot close to the swimming area. They unpacked their towels, snorkels, and boogie-boards, and found a shady spot under a palm tree.

As soon as their things were deposited under the palm, Kagome and Souta raced to the beach, dodging smaller children and their sunbathing parents. They splashed into the water, shocked by its pool-like warmth.

The waves were calm, if they could even be considered waves. In a half circle from the shore was a long pile of rocks. The ocean waves crashed against those, and all of their power was lost by the time the water gently swelled through. The shore was transformed into a shallow beach filled with sand, fish, and tourists.

Kagome and Souta waded into the water, and shoved their masks onto their faces and snorkels into their mouths. They plunged their heads into the water and remained that way for the better part of half an hour.

The fish didn't seem to be amazingly colorful or oddly shaped, but they were still wonderful. First a school of gray-backed fish swam around the legs of the Higurashi children. There were at least a dozen of the fish that ranged between seven and twelve inches long. As they moved deeper into the water, and closer to the rocky barrier, Souta spotted a zebra-striped fish. It had a yellow dorsal fin and was soon joined by others of its kind. They found a fish of a color that Kagome declared as "seafoam green," and (Souta's favorite) a black fish with neon blue and red on its fins and gills. When they lifted their heads to exclaim about all of the fish, Kagome pointed out little black crabs on the rocks.

The two then made their way out of the water and stopped when they saw their mother, with a foam noodle, floating serenely in the soft swells. She opened her eyes to her children's calls of "Mama!"

"We want to go to the open beach," Souta explained, speaking of the life-guarded portion of the shoreline that was open to the waves. His mother nodded, closed her eyes, and leaned back once more.

They ran up to the shore and took their boards from near their grandfather, who was sleeping and snoring loudly. Laughing with excitement, they charged across the sand. Kagome was oddly reminded of that one American show she once watched with Inuyasha; it had been called "Baywatch,"

Little did she know that, farther up on the beach, Inuyasha was thinking much the same thing, as was evident by his rapidly spreading blush.

Kagome and Souta charged into the waves, trying to jump over the first white water crash.

"Ready?" Souta yelled over the surf, and they turned to face the shore in preparation for boarding. "I think I see a big one!"

Kagome looked behind her, and sure enough, Souta was right. A huge wave was building, and it looked ready to break just before it reached them—perfect!

They both turned and lay halfway on their boards, then pushed off the sand beneath them as the wave broke. The wave rushed them forward, side by side, as they shrieked with laughter.

They ground to a halt in the sand, as another waved came over them, pushing sand into their suits, and Souta off his board.

Kagome pulled herself up to all fours, and noticed a pair of bare feet in front of her. A pair of very familiar feet, actually.

She looked up, and their was Inuyasha. He was dressed in his shorts, red t-shirt, and hat. His hair was wet, as if he'd been swimming, and his shirt, although fairly dry, clung to his chest, darkened in a striped, zigzag pattern.

Kagome gazed up into his golden eyes and smiled. Suddenly his cheeks turned very red and he turned around, walking up out of the surf. That's when she realized she must have given the hanyou a very nice view… down the top of her swimsuit.

She blushed a little herself, but got to her feet and ran after her hanyou, dragging her board, which was attached to her wrist, with her.

"Inuyasha!" she yelled. "Wait!"

He stopped, and looked back at her, his face not as red as before, yet still a pretty pink. He stood there stubbornly, waiting for her and refusing to walk to meet her.

"Where have you been all day?" she asked as she drew closer.

"Keh," he replied, looked off down the beach. He moved as if he was about to cross his arms, but then dropped them down to his sides.

"Well, what have you been doing all this time?" Kagome moved in front of him, forcing the stubborn boy to acknowledge her.

"Nothin'," he replied with his don't-care-about-anything attitude.

"What?" she exclaimed, her ire and disappointment rising. " 'Keh' and 'nothing' is what I get for worrying about you? I haven't talked to you since yesterday! You just disappeared, Inuyasha. And when you didn't come back, I thought something had happened to you…." Tears filled the girl's eyes, and her words became less distinct as her sentences were punctuated with loud sobs and hiccups. "I was so… worried… about you."

Inuyasha realized with alarm that Kagome had begun to cry. He slowly reached a hand toward her cheek, and attempted to brush away a tear. "Don't cry," he said, worry filling his voice. "Especially not on your vacation-thingy." When her sobs didn't recede, her cringed and drew his hand back. "Kagome…" he began.

"I just wish…" she started, making him shut up immediately. "I wish that you could tell me things. After all this time, don't you trust me?" Her watery eyes peered up at him.

"Kagome, I…" he began again. But his voice failed him when he saw her misery. His eyes softened, and she could see the unhappiness he felt at beholding her sadness.

"Oh, Inuyasha," she cried, falling against his chest and clinging to him. Inuyasha winced and gasped as if in pain. The girl stepped back quickly and moved to wipe her eyes with her hand, but stopped.

A small smudge of red was smeared in her hand.

Fear gripped Kagome as she looked at where her hand had been. The darker spots on Inuyasha's shirt… it was blood, not water.

"Inuyasha," she breathed. He looked away. Then she had already formed an idea and began to take control of the situation.

"Go to Mama, and tell her it's time to leave. Make sure Grandpa knows too. I'll get Souta and meet you at the van. I'm going to look at your wounds when we get home.

"And you're going to explain to me what happened."

She didn't give him a chance to argue, because she raced off into the water to get her little brother.

The hanyou did as he was told, and found they adults relaxing on the beach. At the request of Kagome's mother (who didn't know he was injured), he even helped them pack their things into the van, wincing and only using his left hand.

Kagome and Souta arrived, and they were all in the rental on the way to the house in a matter of moments.

"Mama," Kagome asked from the back seat she occupied with Inuyasha. "Can we stop at a pharmacy?"

Her mother nodded, and turned into a shopping plaza. Kagome squeezed out and walked with her mother to the store, disappearing inside.

"You know," Souta complained, "if you hadn't been missing all morning, I bet Kagome wouldn't have made us all go home." He stared pointedly at the hanyou in the seat behind him.

"That's right," chimed his grandfather from the passenger seat. "When _you_ came, we all had to leave," he pouted. "Why is that?"

"Didn't you want to be on the beach too?" Souta asked the dog demon.

Inuyasha 'kehed' and looked out the window. A Chihuahua in the car parked next to them barked like mad. The demon growled and the dog quickly whimpered and hid under the front seat.

Souta and his grandfather stared, but made no comment.

Thankfully, the women returned soon, complete with a huge bag of something. They entered the car in silence and continued driving that way.

Once there, Kagome dragged Inuyasha behind the garage to the outdoor shower.

"Strip," she commanded, gesturing for him to turn on the shower as well.

The hanyou's eyes went incredibly wide. Behind her, Souta and her grandfather's eyes did the same, while her mother hummed and unlocked the back door.

"No wait!" Kagome cried, finally realizing her mistake. "I meant take off your shirt! And wash your wounds!" However, it was too late to undo her words, and she could feel her face burn.

"Wounds?" Souta asked, peeking from behind his sister.

"Go inside, Souta, " she ordered, turning to face him. She didn't want her little brother to see his hero hurt, and she didn't know how bad the hanyou's injuries were.

"No!" he yelled, probably more than a little upset. "I didn't know he was—I didn't know you were hurt!" he cried, deciding to speak to Inuyasha himself halfway through his message.

"Souta, just go. You don't need to—"

But both stopped, and stared. Inuyasha had peeled off his shirt.

Long, curvy lines striped his back, which was facing them. The lines were thick and black, with crusty blood and sand etching them. His right shoulder and upper arm was red and raw and if some caustic substance had burned off the skin.

Souta gasped, while tears formed once again in Kagome's eyes. Inuyasha turned and looked back at the siblings.

The same marks were engraved across his chest and stomach.

"What?" he said, clearing unaware of the effect his wounds had on them. He turned back to the shower nozzle, banged on it with his fist, and growled, "How the hell does this thing turn on?"

Kagome quickly rushed over to help him. She glanced back at Souta and shooed him inside. He rapidly obeyed, having no desire to see Inuyasha's wounds more clearly.

Inuyasha winced as the cold water poured over his wounds. The water didn't make them look any better.

"Try to, uh, clean them a bit," Kagome offered, truing to stop the nauseating feeling she got when she beheld the long lacerations on her Inuyasha.

"Yeah, whatever," he replied. He carefully brushed away bits of sand from his chest and stomach. Kagome nearly threw up when she saw little crumbles of dried blood flake off with them.

Usually his wounds, although sometimes much worse, were clean cuts. And even when Naraku's miasma had infected his wounds, they were much more visually appealing.

She moved to the house so she was behind him and didn't have to watch. After about half a minute, she turned around, expecting to face his back. Instead, she faced the front of him, complete with watery red rivulets trailing from points on his wounds.

She closed her eyes, repeating in her mind that she had seen worse, she had seen worse.

"Are you done, Inuyasha?" she asked loudly, making sure he had heard her over the shower. "I still need to bandage you up."

She heard the water turn off, as well as her hurt hanyou's voice. "It's not that bad, wench," he said in his usual arrogant tone. "It's just healing abut funny, so stop worrying already. You sound like a bitch."

She took the insult with only ground teeth (because moving her mouth would release several painful osuwaris), and opened her eyes to see him striding over to her. She walked up to the steps at the back door, sat down on the top one, and motioned for him to sit between her legs.

"Now, you explain, and I'll bandage," she said as he sat down on the step beneath her. She pulled out a roll of gauze from the sopping bag her mother had left by the door.

"There's nothing to explain, wench."

Her eyebrow twitched angrily, and she slapped some gauze onto a reddish ribbon on his shoulder.

"Ow!" he yelled, flinching. "Damn bitch! That hurt!"

"You're supposed to tell me what happened, Inuyasha," she said, feeling a little hurt herself because he had not decided to tell her the first time.

"Keh." He looked down in from of him. "If I have to tell you or else you'll hurt me… damn miko shit.

"Whatever," he said dismissively, "I'll tell you, I guess. I met this youkai on the beach. End of story. Ow!"

Kagome slapped on another bandage. "I want details, Inuyasha. And why didn't you tell me this earlier?" she berated. She shook her head. "Don't you know I worry about you?"

Inuyasha stood up, and turned to face her. "You worry about me too damn much." He crouched down in front of her, the lines across his chest and shoulders rippling. "You should stop worrying so much about me. Just have a good vacation thingy."

Kagome shut up and gently bandaged the hanyou after that. He hadn't wanted to tell her because she would worry, and worrying would ruin her vacation. She tried to hold back tears that threatened to come when she thought about his stupid way of caring for her.

"Don't you know I'll always worry about you? Because I—"

"Just try to stop. And keep bandaging," he said hastily, cutting her off.

She tried to do as he said, but only succeeded halfway. When the bandaging was finished, the two went inside.

"Oh, good," Mrs. Higurashi exclaimed. "You're done. We were just going to get some pizza. Would you like to come with us? Grandpa said he spotted a place earlier."

Souta walked into the kitchen, and stared in awe at the white bandages covering Inuyasha from his neck to his hips.

"Are you gonna be okay?" he asked hesitantly.

"Keh," the cocky hanyou replied. "I'll be fine."

The younger boy nodded slowly, as if unsure of the truth of the statement. But he accepted it nonetheless, and sat down at the table in the chair closest to the door.

"Inuyasha," said Mrs. Higurashi suddenly. "I have another shirt for you. Your red one's in the wash. Here." She disappeared into her bedroom and returned, tossing a white t-shirt at the hanyou.

He took off his hat ad pulled the shirt on over his head, Souta and Kagome giggled when his ears were the only things visible, but stopped as soon as Inuyasha had it on farther, and was able to glare.

Grandpa walked into the kitchen, and rubbed his hands together in excitement. "Let's go get some pizza!"

The group walked to the van, and climbed in. Inuyasha tried to get away with refusing to wear a seatbelt, complaining that it rubbed against his wounds, but Kagome forcibly buckled him up.

"You'd be a lot worse off it we crashed and you flew through the windshield," she explained stubbornly.

He kehed and looked away, letting her click the seatbelt secure.

Kagome's mother drove, while her grandfather sat in the passenger's seat, calling out directions to the pizza place.

They pulled into a dark parking lot that was almost completely filled up.

"Must have good pizza, huh?" Souta stated, looking around.

"Mm," Kagome replied, sensing one of those "adventurous" moment approaching. She had a feeling that the family wouldn't be forgetting this event soon.

Her grandfather opened his door and then hurried everyone else out. Everyone except for Souta was hesitant.

"He makes pizza's out of his van," Grandpa explained, pointing to a big van that was colored like it was still in the sixties in America. They carefully followed Grandpa closer to the van, and behind it, a tall palm-fronded Hawaiian hut or shack-thing that had the words "Spiritual Pizza" on it in rainbow colors.

"What is that smell?" Inuyasha asked, wrinkling his nose.

"I don't smell anything," Souta said, glancing back at the hanyou.

"'Course you don't," Inuyasha answered arrogantly, getting a quick glare from Kagome that was just a quickly ignored. "You can't smell anything, human."

Kagome shushed him, and grabbed his arm, pulling his next to her so they walked together. If he had any more comments that would reveal his non-human origins, she would theoretically be able to stop him.

They were passing the front of the van, which was on the right. On their left were about seven people, sitting on a porch swing adorned with palm fronds. They all were leaning back and slouching, and looked like a bunch of old hippies.

"Those people are so weird," one of them said in a loud whisper, gazing at the Higurashis and Inuyasha.

Kagome scooted closer to Inuyasha, and continued to follow her grandfather.

Suddenly a man popped out in front of Grandpa, a man with his gray hair pulled back into a bushy ponytail and his beard grown out. His eyes shone bright blue.

"Hey, good to see ya," he said loudly. "We're just about to get started with music." He gestured behind him and to the right at a guy with long dreadlocks who was beginning to squeeze out the first few notes on an odd woodwind instrument. It sounded like drugged-up cross between a frog and a clarinet. "And our first pizzas are coming out of the oven. And it's not just any pizza…

"It's spiritual pizza." The man's eyes went freakishly wide at this point.

"Let's discuss it if we want some," Mrs. Higurashi said hastily. She tapped her father-in-law's shoulder and turned to her children. "I don't think so…"

"There's pizza!" Souta resisted.

"Does anybody else hear that sound?" Inuyasha asked suddenly. Kagome nodded and stared and him hard as the "music" rose in pitch.

Inuyasha's eyes weren't exactly focused. He sniffed the air, and looked around in fascination. Kagome stared at the hanyou in concern as his unfocused gaze swiveled toward the stage where the dreadlocked musician eased out some more notes.

"Inuyasha?" she asked slowly.

"Shhh…" he whispered loudly. Then he suddenly yelled. "Whoa! Did you see that flash?"

That's when Kagome became very worried.

"What flash, Inuyasha?" She stood on her toes so he could look only at her face. He blinked more than necessary, and his eyes seemed to slowly focus on hers.

"Let's eat somewhere else, okay?" Mrs. Higurashi looked hr children in the eyes, and grabbed her father-in-law by the arm. She began to move toward the exit.

Kagome turned away from Inuyasha and followed. At least, she tried. The girl took two steps and then felt two arms encircle her from behind.

"Me and Kagome are gonna stay here…. You guys can go on ahead," Inuyasha said in a dreamy tone. Kagome wondered what was wrong with him as her family turned around.

"No," her mother said sternly, "We're leaving."

Souta's eye grew very round when he saw his sister in the hanyou's arms, and that of course caused Kagome's face to turn very red. Not that she minded Inuyasha's strong arms wrapped protectively around her… usually. And if he was actually feeling protective. But something was wrong.

Very wrong, she realized, as she felt his breath on the side of her neck. Souta's eyes got wider and her mother looked even more concerned. Grandpa just continued walking towards the car, oblivious to the scene unfolding behind him.

Then Inuyasha kissed her neck, and began placing more, moving up to her ear. She stood completely still in utmost shock for three seconds, until she squeezed her eyes shut and screamed a single word.

"OSUWARI!"

The hanyou dropped to the ground faster than a meteorite and left a deep crater. The group on the porch swing gazed in wonder and nodded. Kagome could feel her face burning red hot as she and her mother lifted the dazed hanyou to his feet and out to the car.

"Hey! Whaddaya…whoa…lookit…ow!" Inuyasha said as they heaved him into the back seat. Kagome refused to sit next to him. Souta, knowing that Inuyasha was not the type to kiss people when he was in his right mind, refused even more to sit next to the hanyou. The siblings sat next to each other in the seat in front of Inuyasha, glancing back at him suspiciously every fifteen seconds.

"Don't worry about him, children," their mother comforted as she backed up and sped out of the parking lot, "he should come back down in a little while."

"Come back down?" Kagome and Souta echoed simultaneously.

"Didn't you see?" Mrs. Higurashi asked. "Well, I suppose that as a mother I should be happy about that," she said to herself. Then to her children she explained in that patient way that only mothers could, "Inuyasha must be high, dears."

She didn't look into her mirror to see the expressions of shock, confusion, and disbelief on the faces of her children.

"He's _what?_" Kagome asked incredulously.

"Those people by the van were all high, or nearly so. I could tell by the smell. Marijuana." She accelerated after slowing down at a stale red light.

"How do you know this Mama?" Souta asked with a hint of concern.

"Oh, you know, life experiences…" she trailed off and continued driving.

"Look at those lights…" Inuyasha said in wonder as they passed and turned at the Chevron station.

They drove the next few blocks to the house and parked in the back. Souta was out in a flash, not wanting to have to take care of Inuyasha. Grandpa just ignored everyone else as he walked inside. Once again, the women were dragging the hanyou around.

They stopped on the back steps, where Mrs. Higurashi suggested they keep Inuyasha until his senses returned. After forcing him to sit down (it was fairly easy because he was almost completely limp), the tired mother stepped inside.

"Oh, excuse me, Souta," she apologized as she ran into him in the doorway. Kagome glared at him for running and then watching instead of helping. Her mother turned back to her and she immediately changed expressions. "I'm just going to order pizza, okay? You look out for Inuyasha while I call." She slipped inside and the door shut behind her, leaving Kagome and Inuyasha alone.

Kagome suddenly realized that the situation didn't have to be all that bad. She could take advantage of this situation. Recalling what hippies supposedly said about issues suddenly becoming clear, se decided to use this opportunity as best she could.

"Inuyasha?" she asked, a little softly.

"Hnn?" There was a pause. "Whoa. Kagome… it's _you_…."

Kagome felt like slapping herself in the face and quitting right there, but she went on doggedly. "Who do you like better, me or—"

"You, baka," the hanyou replied instantly.

Despite how she knew he was drugged up, Kagome's heart skipped a beat. There was no way she could know if it was the truth, or if he was even really listening.

"Me… or Kikyou," she finished quietly.

"You, baka," he insisted.

Her chest seemed to constrict and tighten around her heart. "So… you love me?" she asked in a whisper, trying to hide the note of hope in her voice.

"Of course, bitch," he said, a silly smile covering his face at this point. For some reason, "bitch" felt more like a pet name than an insult at that moment. But, her hanyou was high, so maybe he just had difficulties controlling the tone in his voice.

"Why don't you ever tell me?" she asked, looking down at her red polished toes and wiggling them.

"'Cause…why should I?" he said stubbornly. She giggled because he sounded like a tantrumish child.

"Because I like to know these things, Inuyasha," she replied, her voice still soft, but a little lighter than before.

"What…evah…" he countered. He looked over at her and smirked sloppily, adding, "Bitch."

She sighed and stood up. "Tell me again sometime, okay?"

The door behind her suddenly opened, startling her and not fazing Inuyasha.

"I ordered two Hawaiian pizzas," a familiar voice rang out.

"Thanks Mama," Kagome answered, turning around to face her mother.

"How's he doing?" Mrs. Higurashi gestured at Inuyasha.

Kagome paused and thought about it. "Better, I think." She thought a bit more, and then added, "He hasn't said anything about lights for a while."

Her mother nodded and returned inside. Kagome stared in shock at her mother for leaving her alone with a guy who was high for the second time in one night, but then she sat back down next to Inuyasha in defeat.

"What'cha thinkin'?" she asked, staring up at the stars.

"Nothin'," he answered, not quite reaching nonchalance. Maybe he realized it, for he quickly added in a syrupy tone, "Bitch."

"What…evah…" she countered, suppressing a smile. She decided to take another leaf out of Inuyasha's book and added, "Koinu."

The hanyou didn't seem to notice. In fact, he yawned and leaned back against the steps. Kagome wrinkled her nose at how uncomfortable that looked. She was about to ask him just how comfortable he was when she saw his eyes slide closed.

"Koinu-kun?" she asked, sounding like a sixth-grader with a classic schoolgirl crush.

"Hnn?" he answered. His eyes stayed shut.

"Koinu-kun?" she asked again, this time quelling the accompanying schoolgirl giggle.

A soft snore answered her.

A short while later, the pizza arrived, and Mrs. Higurashi took it at the front door, not wanting Inuyasha to be seen by any other eyes. Kagome and her mother moved the sleeping hanyou indoors, as Grandpa made cracks about letting sleeping dogs lie. Inuyasha, however, was out like a light and not about to be woken up. The family watched TV and ate pizza while the hanyou slept on the couch.

Souta decided to sleep in a tent in the backyard, because that was preferable to waking up the sleeping dog. He and his mother took the air mattress they found in the garage, some pillows and blankets, and set up the tent under the moon and the porch light.

Kagome sat through the finale of another black and white movie ("Love is Better Than Ever"), indulging her grandfather until she could stay awake no longer.

She said her good nights and quietly walked into her bedroom. Kagome changed into light pajamas of shorts and a tanktop, and slipped into bed.

Over and over, her mind repeated:

"Me… or Kikyou?"

"You, baka."

"So… you love me?"

"Of course."

End of Chapter 3

So, tell me what you thought. Loves to everyone who's reviewed me and stuck with me despite my terrible uploading habits. I know I'm slow, but I have projects and AP exams coming up. Anyway, for a list of new terms….

I think I only used "koinu" and "kun"

"ko" is "little" and "inu" is "dog, so "koinu" is "puppy"

"kun" is added on to the names of male peers

And in case you were wondering, Spiritual Pizza exists. I described my experience there to the T, except no one got high and no one was kissed. But otherwise, yeah, hope you guys are enjoying my vacation… well, now that Inuyasha has taken over it.

Tobi Tortue

"Je fais ce que je peux." (pronounced "shfay shkuh shpuh", translates as "I do what I can")


End file.
